On paper, this looks like a game that the Hurricanes ran away with. They beat the Sabres 4-2, outshot them by 32 and mauled them in the territorial game. It looks like one of the most dominant performances this team has put together in awhile, but it was actually a lot more frustrating to watch […]

Special teams are something that can give clubs a big boost and for the Hurricanes it's been the exact opposite. Both their power play and penalty kill are ranked in the bottom-third of the league and their Special Team Index (PP% + PK%) is the third worst in the NHL. For reference, most teams strive […]

There are some games where you'll catch a team on an off-night and this was the case with the Hurricanes 3-1 win over the Rangers. After all, this is the same team that wiped the floor with the Hurricanes on Friday night and is much better than them in terms of skill and depth. You […]

When people ask me why the Hurricanes have struggled so much this year, I usually point to one of two things. The first is special teams, which kind of speaks for itself at this point, and the other is depth. Jim Rutherford spent a lot of money on the team's core and it's left the […]

I've been very critical of Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller this season for a number of reasons. He isn't the sole reason why this team's season has gone down the drain but his system and certain habits have played a role in it. Muller is very strict about having players stick to his system and […]

This year's Hurricanes team usually needs a few things to happen in order for them to win. They're usually in good shape if they can get good production out of both of their top-two lines, whether that comes in form of goals & points or territorial domination depends on the night. If that doesn't happen, […]

In my earlier post lamenting the struggles of Tuomo Ruutu that led to his departure, I almost neglected to mention the player the Hurricanes got in return from the Devils. That player being forward Andrei Loktionov. The Hurricanes lineup (namely the bottom-six) has been devoid of skill for most of the year and Loktionov should […]

The main goal I had for the Hurricanes going into yesterday's trade deadline was for them to clear space for next season while adding a piece or two that could help the team in the future. They only made one trade, but they took a step in accomplishing both goals by trading winger Tuomo Ruutu […]

Riding a five-game losing streak while trying to hang onto their playoff lives, the Hurricanes were a team in desperate need of a win and they played up to this label last night against the San Jose Sharks. For the first 40 minutes, we saw the Hurricanes do a lot of things that have been […]

This will be one of those games that most will point to as an example of why Corsi, Fenwick and other shot based stats are meaningless because the Hurricanes were blown out despite outshooting Anaheim 52-34 and having a big advantage in possession. Those who only take numbers at face value might feel that way, […]

The Hurricanes came up short in a game which they absolutely needed to win and it wasn't for a lack of trying, compete, heart, grit or any other cliche fans want to throw out there. Carolina is simply not deep enough to be a playoff team and it was painfully obvious in yesterday's 3-1 loss […]

In what ended up being Ryan Miller's final game in Buffalo, the Sabres goaltender put on a terrific performance to backstop his team to a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. Carolina did just about everything to try to beat Miller through the first 55 minutes of the game, outchancing Buffalo 26-9, getting traffic in front […]

No one likes overreacting or melodramatics, but the Hurricanes may have played their worst game of the season last night, taking a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. Even on bad nights, the Hurricanes have had stretches where they looked somewhat competitive and into the game. There was none of this in Dallas. They were […]

It's hard to think of a player on the Hurricanes who has seen a bigger heel turn than goaltender Cam Ward. After playing such a big role in the team's Stanley Cup victory in 2005-06, every Caniac has sung Ward's praises for years and it usually didn't matter how good or bad he played. He […]

With the Olympic break coming to an end and the Hurricanes ready for action tomorrow, it's now a good time to look at their neutral zone performance. I've talked about some of their tendencies in my game recaps and in other articles, but it's been awhile since I last gave a comprehensive look at the […]